Every year, 100-year-old Angélique Beauchemin sees a new portion of her land collapse into the St. Lawrence River.
From the window of her house in Verchères, she watches the waves created by passing ships gnawing at the rock walls at the foot of her property and slowly swallowing a new part of the banks.
The highest part of her land, explains the lady, is sinking an inch or two a year as it slopes more and more towards the river. Although she is not a scientist, Ms.me Beauchemin says her biggest fear is that one day a landslide will wash away the little white house she’s lived in for decades. “Everything could go,” she dropped in a recent interview.
It’s even worse than it was. It’s not reassuring.
Despite her age, the lady made the difficult walk along the slope that descends to the edge of the river, wearing a straw hat, with the help of a cane. Once down, she points to various places where water has carved small bays into the shoreline since her most recent visit. “It’s even worse than it was,” she worries. It’s not reassuring. »
Angélique Beauchemin is part of a group of residents along the south shore who are urging the federal government to take action to counter the effects of erosion due to maritime traffic. According to them, the erosion affects the fauna and flora and causes damage to their property.
The president of a citizens’ committee founded in 2019, Micheline Lagarde, shows old reports describing anti-erosion infrastructure erected along the river by the federal government in the 1960s and 1970s.
Unfortunately, the federal program that ensured the maintenance of these barriers was eliminated in 1997. Since then, says Ms.me Lagarde, the low walls have only fallen apart.
She denounces the fact that no one wants to take responsibility for what is happening, while local residents continue to see their land being swallowed up by the river.
After years of dealing with local elected officials, the citizens’ committee mobilized to increase pressure on the government. Mme Lagarde explains that it is practically impossible for the riparian owners to maintain the anti-erosion walls themselves.
The operation would require the hiring of engineers and specialized contractors and would cost between $5,000 and $6,000 per meter.
A class action on behalf of residents of Varennes, Verchères and Contrecoeur has been launched against the federal government. The plaintiffs seek $50 million in compensation for the accelerated erosion of their properties caused by the ships.
The lawsuit has not yet been heard on the merits by the court.
Transport Canada responded in writing that it was aware of the issue and was monitoring the situation closely with the help of partners.
The ministry says it has already taken steps to limit the effects of passing ships by issuing shipping advisories based on water levels, monitoring ship speeds and implementing voluntary speed reduction measures.